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Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has reportedly been hospitalized amid complications with his progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), per ABC News.
On Wednesday (November 12), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization founded by Jackson to promote social justice and economic equality, announced that the longtime civil rights activist was in the hospital and under medical observation due to his PSP.
Jackson, 84, has been living with the neurodegenerative disorder for about a decade. The two-time presidential candidate was originally diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but doctors confirmed his PSP diagnosis in April, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said.
“The family appreciates all prayers at this time,” a statement from the organization reads.
Jackson, a protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became one of the most prominent voices of the civil rights movement, founding the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to fight for justice. He stepped down from leading the organization in 2023.
Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare neurological condition that affects movement, balance, and eye coordination, caused by damage to specific nerve cells in the brain, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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